Klumpke’s Palsy

For parents, the birth of a child should be a miraculous and wonderful event. Sadly, though, a routine delivery can quickly turn into a medical emergency. When babies are mishandled during birth complications like shoulder dystocia, nerve damage and permanent disabilities like Klumpke’s palsy can occur.

Klumpke’s palsy is in the family of brachial plexus injuries along with other disorders like Erb’s palsy. The brachial plexus is a group of nerves that runs from the spinal cord, across to the shoulder and down the arm into the hand and fingers. When these nerves are strained, pinched, or torn, it can cause temporary or permanent loss of feeling and movement to different parts of the arm.

Brachial plexus injuries are primarily caused when the medical staff attending to a birth improperly pulls on a baby’s head or neck to help free it from the mother’s body. Normally, there are repositioning and manipulation techniques to help remove a stuck baby during complications such as shoulder dystocia, but sometimes doctors disregard these methods. This can result in Klumpke’s palsy.

This type of palsy specifically refers to the damage done to the part of the brachial plexus that connects at the C7, C8, and T1 vertebrae. This lower portion of the brachial plexus nerves controls the forearm, hand, wrist, and fingers. Thus, a person with Klumpke’s palsy may be able to move all of his or her arm, but not make a fist or manipulate the fingers. This is usually permanent, although occupational
therapy and/or surgery may be able to help.

You should be able to trust your doctor and medical staff to safely deliver your baby without risk of causing Klumpke’s palsy. However, sometimes doctors fail in their duty, which can result in lifelong disabilities for your precious child.

Contact Us

If you or someone you know has a child with Klumpke’s palsy, you should speak to a lawyer about your rights. For more information regarding birth injury law,  contact the Philadelphia birth injury attorneys of Lowenthal & Abrams, P.C., today at 215-238-1130.